Pushed to the edge: doco reveals Tasmania's cannibal past

Crime, cannibalism, and confession. A Tasmanian documentary released this week sheds light on a grotesque chapter in the state's history.

In 1822 eight convicts escaped from a prison on Sarah Island and got lost in the bush. Pearce was the only survivor but the authorities thought his story of cannibalism was too grotesque to be true.

He proved them wrong, and the film about that gory episode opened in Hobart last night.

It's hard to believe but The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce is based on a true story. Niall Fulton wrote the screenplay.

"This is concrete. I mean it's absolutely watertight in terms of historical accuracy," he said.

"We based the script on the actual confessions of Alexander Pearce, which still exist I should add, and a lot of the script has been taken from one of those confessions. So in terms of accuracy I think this is as close to the truth as you're likely to find."

Pearce was sent to Australia for stealing six pairs of shoes. The Irishman was then further punished by being sent to Sarah Island - a prison in the middle of the Tasmanian wilderness with a reputation for cruelty.

"The men were subjected to both physical and psychological horror and it goes as far as being flogged for looking at a prison officer or talking out of turn," said Fulton.

"And I think, without wanting to in any way declare cannibalism a cool thing or something that could happen, or should happen, I can empathise with the men that were on Sarah Island. I can empathise with the notion of doing anything to escape that kind of horror."

Pearce was one of eight convicts who escaped from Sarah Island in 1822. In the film he tells his priest how walking through rugged terrain with no food, the convicts were forced to turn on each other one by one.

"The whole notion of hunger is explored in the film and Pearce condemned himself by using by using the phrase, 'No man knows what hunger will make him do'," he said.

"And I think the overarching theme in the story is that question. Unless you're in that situation and you've suffered the barbarity of what Pearce suffered then you can't begin to fathom what he went through."

Three months after escaping Sarah Island, Pearce made it to a settlement on the other side of Tasmania. He was the only survivor.

When he was caught, Alexander Pearce confessed his cannibalism but the authorities did not believe him. They sent him back to Sarah Island.

"He then escapes a second time with one other man, kills him, eats him, gives himself up and then is charged for murder because they have a body this time. And they charge him for murder and hang him," said director Michael James Rowland.

Even though his crimes were horrific, the film does not paint Pearce as a monster.

"It's also interesting to reflect on the fact that these sort of tales of deprivation and crime. These very gothic tales often are at the root of Australia," Rowland said.

"But I would make the observation that as a nation we've turned out very well and I think that that's to our credit and we should be proud."

Pearce was an Irish convict and the film will be shown in Ireland. At $1.3 million, it is the most expensive film made in Tasmania.

Karena Slaninka from Screen Tasmania hopes it will bolster the local film industry.

"What we're seeing is increased employment opportunities, increased training opportunities, increased spend in the state and a bigger profile for Tasmania internationally," she said.

"This film was presold to Northern Ireland, BBC UK, the History Channel in the UK, as well as the ABC. So it's got huge potential to reach wide audiences and that's really exciting for Tasmania."

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